Susan Loy of Literary Calligraphy in Moneta, VA, joins text from literary classics or Biblical passages with delicate watercolor images and creates a unique bond between fine art and literature.

The complete poem, Pied Beauty, by British poet and Jesuit priest, Gerald Manley Hopkins (1844-1899) is included in this painting. Pied means having two or more colors in patches or blotches. Lady slipper means capricious beauty, i. e., unpredictable, whimsical, or pied beauty.

The yellow lady slipper, Cypripedium calceolus, is native to North America and Europe, including Britain. The solitary flowers have brownish-purple sepals and petals and a deep yellow pouch with freckles.